The Cardturner Quotes

“I hope I remember everything," said Toni.
"You won't," said Trapp. "That's how you learn. But after you make the same mistake one, or two, or five times, you'll eventually get it. And then you'll make new mistakes.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“The impossible is more believable than the highly improbable.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“The time you quit learning is the time to quit playing.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Okay, you were probably taught there are five senses," he said. "We see, hear, touch, smell and taste. But how do we know those are the only five? What are the senses that we don't have? What are we failing to perceive?”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“We may be surrounded by some greater reality, to which we are oblivious. And even if we could somehow perceive it in some entirely new way, it is extremely doubtful we would be able to comprehend what we perceived.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“An idea doesn't die," said Trapp. "It exists somewhere, in its own dimension, waiting to be perceived.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Life will deal me many different hands, some good, some bad (maybe they've already been dealt), but from here on in, I'll be turning my own cards.

—Alton Richard”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“When I turned the corner, I saw Toni waving at me from the elevator. I think I've already told you how it made me feel to see her smile and wave at me. You can have your sunsets and waterfalls. If a piano were to suddenly fall on my head, that's the image I'd want forever engraved in my mind.

—Alton Richard”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“It's funny how you can go from hating a girl to maybe liking her, maybe liking her a lot, just because she shows a little interest in you.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“He gave it all to charity,” said my father. “Diabetes research, I can understand that. But cancer research? He didn’t even have cancer!”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Passed away” seemed like an appropriate way of putting it. Over the next few days, I had this recurring image of Trapp sitting at the bridge table. He reaches into the bidding box, removes a pass card, and places it on the table. Then he slowly vanishes.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“had had”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“So, you just told him all his cards?” East asked when we returned. “And he’s going to remember them?” asked West. “You can ask me,” my uncle said. “Despite my lack of eyesight, I can hear and speak.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“The urge to communicate is even stronger than the sex drive,” Trapp said. “Why do you think people gossip so much? Why can’t we keep secrets? Why have we invented the printing press, the telephone, the Internet? It’s so ideas can grow and reproduce. Our bodies, our brains, are just machines that ideas use for a while, then toss aside when they wear out.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“You know what? I’m not going to describe anybody else as elderly. Let’s just say that if you take my age and double it, I would still have been the youngest person in the room, by a lot.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“And I can get my own phone," said Leslie, "with unlimited text messaging!" "And I can get my car fixed," I said. "Or maybe even a new car." "Or a new house that already has a swimming pool," said Leslie. "And a hot tub," I said. "And a game room, and a pool table," said Leslie. "And a giant TV with surround sound, and every kind of video game." And, and, and... That's the trouble with money.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“the way, when I showed this to Leslie, I used real cards, not a bridge diagram. If you find it difficult to follow the diagrams, try using a real deck. For the first hand, you can also try dealing East the king of spades instead of West, and you will see why the finesse won't work. A finesse is a cool play that allows you to win two tricks with the ace and queen of a suit, even though one of your opponents holds the king. It has a 50 percent chance of success, depending on which one of your opponents holds that king.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“had.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Twenty-five Percent Slam”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“when Trapp was a young man, did he have sex with Annabel King,”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Well, it’s very distracting when we have to keep saying every card out loud,” complained East. “I’m sorry my partner’s blindness makes life so difficult for you,” said Gloria.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“had”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Normally Trapp would just sit back and let the opponents argue, but I think he was offended by her use of the word fixed. She had just called him stupid and lucky. Worse, she blamed his supposedly lucky play on his blindness.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“Lucy hugged my uncle as she gushed about how wonderful it was to see him playing bridge again. Then she got all flustered and apologetic because she had used the word see. “It’s all right, Lucy,” Trapp assured her. “I’m aware you have the ability to see me, even if I can’t see you.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“For the record, I never described Lucy as overweight. I simply reported what she said. I have been very careful not to refer to any woman as old and fat.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“compelled”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“It probably took Leslie longer to type the @ symbol than it would have to type the word at, but that’s the kind of thing she loves to do.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker

“I once had a teacher who told me I'd be twice as smart if I was half as smart as I thought I was. I'm still trying to figure that one out.”
― Louis Sachar, The Cardturner: A Novel about a King, a Queen, and a Joker